Skittles Game
Engagement in a Box
Time Needed: 20 to 30 minutes
Group size: 10 to 50 – divide into groups of 10
Overview
The focus of this engagement is to give you an overview of United Way’s work in the areas of
Education, Safety and Health. After experiencing this simulation game, participants will have
a better understanding of how poverty affects families and how United Way’s strategies in
Education, Safety, and Health are creating real solutions to pave pathways for families out of
poverty.
Items Needed for Engagement





10 paper lunch bags
1 large bag of Skittles or other small candy
1 set of laminated activity cards
5 additional Support Cards
1 paper plate
Preparation for Engagement
For every group of 10, fill bags accordingly:
 1 bag with a lot of candies
 7 bags with 5 candies – put a United Way 2-1-1 Card in 2 of these bags
 2 bags with 2 candies.
 Pour a pile of Skittles onto a paper plate and place in the center of the
group.
 Put the cards in a pile; face down in the center of the group.
How to Execute the Engagement
1. Explain to the group that the Skittles represent wealth.
2. Hand out paper bags to each group and allow each to see how many Skittles they have.
3. Players take turns picking a card from the pile, and reading the card aloud. Based on the
instructions, they either gain or lose their Skittles to the pile in the center.
4. If someone draws a United Way 2-1-1 Card from the pile, they skip their turn and hold
onto the card for later.
5. The United Way 2-1-1 Card can be used to cover one turn after person runs out of
candy.
6. When a player runs out of Skittles and United Way 2-1-1 Cards, they must leave the
group and gather in one corner of the room.
7. After about 20 minutes, ask participants to stop playing. Bring all the groups together to
discuss the game.
Your spouse got a raise!
Life looks great!
GAIN 2
®
You finished the Certified
Nursing Assistant program at
Madison College, and now can
get a better job.
GAIN 1
®
GAIN 2
®
You received food share, so
now you can afford to buy
fresh vegetables and fruits.
GAIN 1
®
®
Your family is able to pay your college
expenses, so you don’t have to work
and can concentrate on your classes.
GAIN 1
®
You played around during high
school, but your dad went to Yale
and gives big bucks! You’re in!
You played around during high
school, but your dad went to Yale
and gives big bucks! You’re in!
GAIN 2
Your great-grandma just
passed away and left you
$15,000 in her will.
GAIN 2
®
Your uncle owns a
business and sets you up
with a great job.
GAIN 1
®
Your mother passed away. You are
having a hard time coping with
this change and experiencing
signs of depression.
LOSE 1
Your neighbor used to take care of your
children during your evening shift. She
just moved away, and now there’s no one
to watch your kids while you’re at work.
®
Your hours and days at work just
got cut. Other workers who
complained have been fired.
LOSE 1
®
LOSE 2
®
Your roommate decided to exit your
lease early, you can’t afford your
apartment alone. You and your two
children are staying in shelter.
®
You interviewed for a great
job, but it’s not on the bus line
and you can’t afford a car.
LOSE 1
®
You had an apartment fire
and no insurance to cover the
cost of everything lost in the fire.
Your job was eliminated at your
employer. You can’t find a new job
and now you are about to get
evicted.
LOSE 2
LOSE 1
®
LOSE 1
®
You move to a cheaper apartment.
Now your car needs new brakes, and
you just paid rent. You have to take
out a loan from PayDay Loans at
150% interest.
LOSE 2
®
You just found out that you need
surgery and you have health
insurance with an extremely
high deductible.
LOSE 1
Your son just got out of jail. He’s
looking for work, but employers
don’t want to hire people with a
criminal record.
®
Childcare costs half of what you
earn, but if you don’t work you
can’t pay rent.
LOSE 1
LOSE 1
®
You got sick and missed 3 days of
work the week before rent was due.
Now you don’t have the money to pay
rent, and the landlord charges $50 for
late payment.
®
LOSE 1
®
You didn’t have good dental care as a
kid, and now you have lots of damage
and are in terrible pain. A trip to the
dentist means a full day of lost pay.
You know you have an alcohol problem
and need to get help, but there are
always waiting lists when you feel ready
to go into treatment.
LOSE 1
LOSE 1
®
You interviewed for a great
job, but it’s not on the bus line
and you can’t afford a car.
LOSE 1
®
®
Your elderly mother fell at home and
needed to go to the hospital. She’s
doing fine now, but the hospital bills
are over $6,000 and the collections
office is calling you.
LOSE 1
®
You lost your job. Luckily, your
spouse is still working and can
suport you for a while.
Your car breaks down again, this time
for good. There’s no grocery store near
you. The corner Quik-Mart is very
expensive and the milk is often spoiled.
LOSE 1
®
You graduated! Congratulations!
Now you have $30,000 in
student loans to pay off.
LOSE 1 and GAIN 1
LOSE 1 and GAIN 1
®
You had a bad drinking problem, but
a private treatment center and a year
with a great counselor helped you
beat it.
®
LOSE 2 and GAIN 1
®
United Way
United Way
United Way of Dane County
United Way of Dane County
®
®
United Way
United Way
United Way of Dane County
United Way of Dane County
®
®
You got a raise! Unfortunately, your
higher income level now means you lose
your daycare subsidy. You now pay more
out-of-pocket for your childcare.
GAIN 1 and LOSE 2
You found a new apartment, well within your
budget! It is right on a bus line, and within
walking distance of a grocery store and your
kids’ schools. This means you don’t have to
depend on your old car anymore.
®
The Ride Free Area downtown has
been discontinued. You now have to
pay $12 extra per week to get between
your two part time jobs downtown.
LOSE 1
®
LOSE 1
®
The food bank where you volunteer
has an opening for a part-time paid
position. They ask you to fill it
because they know you’re an
excellent worker.
®
GAIN 1
®
Your aunt’s house is foreclosed on,
and she needs a place to stay. She
promises she’ll help out with the
grocery and utility bills once she
finds a job.
Your son gets accepted into a selective
after-school music program on a
scholarship. Now you don’t have to pay
for after-school care, and he’s learning.
GAIN 2
®
Your daughter is filling out
college applications. They cost about
$50 each, and she’s applying to six
schools.
Your family’s food share benefits are
being cut. You now have to pay more
out-of-pocket to feed your family.
LOSE 1
GAIN 1
®
LOSE 1
®
Your divorce is finalized, but your ex
hasn’t started paying their monthly
child support yet. You have attorney
fees to deal with, and are the sole
provider for your kids.
LOSE 1
You’ve been recruited to a higher paying job
in a nearby city. You decide to move once
your lease is up, but in the meantime, you
have to drive 50 miles round-trip every day.
The commute is hard on you and your
family.
®
GAIN 2 and LOSE 1
®
United Way
United Way
United Way of Dane County
United Way of Dane County
®
United Way
®
United Way
United Way of Dane County
United Way of Dane County
®
®
United Way
United Way
United Way of Dane County
United Way of Dane County
®
®
United Way
United Way
United Way of Dane County
United Way of Dane County
®
®
United Way
United Way
United Way of Dane County
United Way of Dane County
®
United Way
®
United Way
United Way of Dane County
United Way of Dane County
®
®
United Way
United Way
United Way of Dane County
United Way of Dane County
®
®
Discussion Questions for Skittles Game
1. What happened during the game? How easy was it to hold onto your Skittles? How did the
people feel who lost all their Skittles? How about the people who ended the game with lots of
Skittles?
2. Why did people start out with different numbers of Skittles in their bag?
3. Do you think these situations are realistic? Have you known people that have been through
situations like these?
4. What kind of support could the United Way 2-1-1 Cards represent? How can family, friends
and community help people get through hard times?
5. What are some other situations that might keep people in poverty, or help them get out of
poverty?
Discussion Questions for Skittles Game
1. What happened during the game? How easy was it to hold onto your Skittles? How did the
people feel who lost all their Skittles? How about the people who ended the game with lots of
Skittles?
2. Why did people start out with different numbers of Skittles in their bag?
3. Do you think these situations are realistic? Have you known people that have been through
situations like these?
4. What kind of support could the Support Cards represent? How can family, friends and
community help people get through hard times?
5. What are some other situations that might keep people in poverty, or help them get out of
poverty?
Discussion Questions for Skittles Game
1. What happened during the game? How easy was it to hold onto your Skittles? How did the
people feel who lost all their Skittles? How about the people who ended the game with lots of
Skittles?
2. Why did people start out with different numbers of Skittles in their bag?
3. Do you think these situations are realistic? Have you known people that have been through
situations like these?
4. What kind of support could the Support Cards represent? How can family, friends and
community help people get through hard times?
5. What are some other situations that might keep people in poverty, or help them get out of
poverty?